Light Echo
by wiccaryan
Summary: The Lion fell in love with the Lamb but Edward's hidden past is catching up with him. How will he cope when the indelible truth of his past, bringing with it danger, suddenly collides with his present? Slash-fic, Edward's POV, Post-Breaking Dawn, OC.
1. Preface

**Preface**

_Impervious, black smoke took possession of the air, its shapeless form tainted orange from the fire below._

_The pungent scent of burning objects pervaded my hyper-sensitive nostrils. The putrid smell of smouldering wood dominated the scene. _  
_The bowels of Hell had been emptied, and flickering, consuming demons of orange and red now turned there rage onto my world, viciously tearing and burning it out of existence._

_We all stood momentarily frozen, grief stricken by this cruel tragedy._  
_I ran towards the burning mass, and threw myself into it, narrowly missing a falling beam as I began to dig…_


	2. Difficult Transitions

**I would like to thank my Beta, a dazzling woman without whom 'Light Echo' could never have come into fruition. She has never given me any idea that i could not write what i wanted to write, or create what i wanted to create. She is a pillar without which i could not stand, always ready with a cup of a tea and a listening ear. Thank you Sadna, this Chapter is for you.

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**Difficult Transitions**

These moments were the worst.  
The moments when she spent time _alone_ with Jacob and Renesme.  
Tedious, meaningless moments in the vast space of eternity, placed upon those which are immortal.  
_Immortal._

How I had grown to adore and detest that word!  
Immortality granted me a near unstoppable and endless time with Bella. It also condemned me as a soulless creature, forbidden to age, decay and die. Cast out from the afterlife – from heaven, without ever having experienced it.

My definition of heaven had been vastly redefined of late. Heaven was now a tangible experience, not a rigid concept spouted from a pulpit.  
Heaven was with my Bella, it was bliss. If Heaven exists by an individual's perception of it, I experienced Heaven daily.

These things I pondered, in the tedious, meaningless moments of eternity.

I sat alone in my old bedroom, engrossed in translucent darkness, faintly punctuated by thin beams of celestial light.

My hand swept through the air in time with the music. Strong and gentle string notes kept beautifully in harmony.

'Thais Meditation' always reminded me of my early years as a vampire, the lonely wandering and trying to come to terms with my immortal, dangerous state. I killed the most evil people in creation - the blackest hearts of mankind. I ripped them open unashamedly with my teeth. Despite my logical reasoning, that disposing of evil people would be less of a blemish on my 'soul'– I still felt immense guilt after the kill. _That_ was inescapable. Often whilst sitting upon a lone rooftop, with the blood, weeks old, still stained upon my chin, I longed for the foolish fragility of humans; a simple jump from that rooftop would have ended my guilt ridden existence, if only.

But it was not to be.

I stared at the room around me, the entire space was clear and bright as if it were bathed in sunlight.

My bookcase of music still rested against the wall, except only half of it was there. The rest of the space was now occupied by hundreds of leather bound volumes, some first editions each whispering of rich and endless knowledge.  
An antique mahogany desk now sat proud against the back windows, its carefully carved curves and corners accented with ornate, gold leaf designs. A state of the art laptop established dominance of the desk, only willing to share the space with a round crystal vase of yellow roses, which threw delicate rainbows onto the hardwood floor when caught in a certain light.

_His favourite flowers. _

The walls were repainted a shade of cream, accented with a mulled reddish brown skirting board. I lay lazily upon the four-posted oak bed which now faced the music and bookcase.

_Edward. _Alice's voice, a gentle high soprano rang through my head. She sounded close.

I sprang from the bed, and flicked on the lights, out of courtesy.

"Yes?" I answered as she danced into the room.

"Do you like the room? I tried to remember what he liked – but you know better than me" Alice admitted, her eyes studying the space she had worked on for a week solid.

"It's perfect, he'll love it."

"I know he will." She smiled proudly, "I was asking if you did."

"It's not my room anymore, but yes, I like it, you've done an amazing job…" I smiled at her…it really was perfect for him.

"Heard anything from Bella and Jacob?"

"Yes," I answered, "Bella called briefly about an hour ago, Nessie loves Disneyland, she's having an amazing time with her grandmother." It was good for her to experience a few golden moments of childhood, before the accelerated ageing process robbed her of them. I tried not to let it show in my face that I missed Nessie and Bella terribly. My nerves were fraught and frayed with anxiousness of not being close my beautiful wife and daughter was tremendously difficult as they were always at the forefront of my ever-busy mind. I felt already replaced in my daughter's life. Jacob had imprinted on her, and by my understanding, she would love him more than anything in existence.

Obviously, she still depended on Bella and me, no matter how advanced she was – but I still felt replaced. It was Jacob she spent the majority of her time with, to whom she sought comfort when the world became too harsh on her shoulders, not me. I was her father, it was _my_ job to protect and shield her from this bitter world, and yet my duty had been stripped of me. Foolishly, I had only recently come to the conclusion that difficult transitions were still inevitable, even when you're dead. It physically pained my heart to be away from them. I had spent eight days without kissing Bella, inhaling her intoxicating scent and caressing her porcelain cheeks in the curves of my hands.

"Have you told Bella he's coming to live with us?" Alice enquired, pulling me away from my morose thoughts. She plucked a rose from the vase, smelled it, before placing it into her hair.

"No, not yet…I'm not quite sure _how_ to tell her." I admitted. She met my gaze for a moment, before nodding.

"It's tricky, I'll admit it." She sat herself at the desk, her face becoming devoid of all emotion and her mind began to reach into the future.

"His plane is landing at 3 o clock tomorrow. Are you coming with me and Jazz to pick him up?"

"Of course I am," I nodded, sitting back down onto the bed. "Does he know we're coming?"

"No, it'll be a surprise for him! Esme and Rosalie are out buying more decorations."  
I groaned.

Alice had single-handedly redecorated my old bedroom for him, and was now working on the surprise party she had cooked up. A simple affair in its guests, just we Cullens but elaborate in its execution. Fairy lights, suspended by near invisible wire blanketed the entire downstairs of the house, casting blue and warm yellow light, like a starlit sky when switched on. A banner, placed strategically above the door outside read "Welcome Home". It had been commissioned by Alice from a local artist, and would have found a place within the elite art scene quite easily.

"Alice, what if he's tired after his flight?" I masked the fact I wished to talk to him alone the moment he stepped through the front door.

"He won't be…I've seen it, remember? It's going to be a fabulous night." She stood and began walking out of the room, "Don't worry, you'll get a lot of time with him." And with that she left.

It was as if _she_ had read _my_ thoughts for a change, knowing my true intentions and desire, no matter how well I tried to conceal them.

Alice and I were in a close simpatico, she truly was my annoying but loveable little sister. I lay back onto the bed.

It was times like these I wished I were able to sleep. To dream.

I thought about him.

Him.

I closed my eyes and called him from my memory.

He appeared with ease, his warm, optimistic smile set in his oval shaped face. The delicate and fragile form of his body, coated in milky white skin. Sapphire eyes set like diamonds beneath thick dark eyelashes.  
I remembered my precious time with him, when hours became mere minutes because of sheer enjoyment – the _subtle moments in between_ as he had once described it.  
Nick.

Tomorrow could not come fast enough.


	3. Into The Woods

**Hey Readers - sorry this chapter took so long, it was actually already written when i published chapter 1, but life got really busy and hectic XD  
Please review as it is what we writers thrive on.  
I hope you enjoy this story as much as i enjoy writing it.

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Into the Woods

"Just for this moment, as long as you're mine.  
I've lost all resistance and crossed some borderline."

Glowing streetlights became thin lines, seeming to chase our car. Alice was excited to see Nick, it reflected in her exuberant driving. She wasn't able to sit still in her seat, bouncing slightly as we sped through the traffic. Alice weaved effortlessly, paying practically no attention to the road. Jasper sat next to her in the passenger seat whilst I sat in the back. A local band played faintly on the radio, I wondered idly whether Mike Newton was a member, I'd heard he was. Mike Newton seemed to be a vague memory to me now, a minor, blurred detail.

"Are you excited to see him?" Alice made a fluid left with the steering wheel as she turned nearly completely around to face me. Jasper's eyes diligently maintained a constant guard on the stretches of road, filled with cars in front of us, full of human passengers whose perception and reflexes were considerably less than our own.

I was excited to see Nick, _more_ than excited. However, my excitement had been shoved aside to make way for nerves, potent and prickly which had settled in the pit of my stomach the very second I had sat in the car. I felt sorry for Jasper, having to endure my feelings as well as his own.

"Of course I am." I responded automatically, and offered a false smile of anticipation.

"I can't wait to see his face when the party starts." Alice chatted animatedly, before adding, "Well, _obviously_ I've already seen it, but it's different live."

My thoughts were elsewhere.

I vaguely heard Jasper and Alice having a conversation, speculating about what Nick had been doing all these years. I hadn't the heart or the confidence to admit that I myself did not know. _What had he been doing?_

I felt a brief moment of abrupt anger at him for not keeping in touch, for not checking in more often. The anger was swallowed by my consuming nerves, and I remembered that just like Alice, Nick had ways of knowing if we were ok. If we were in trouble, he would have moved mountains to get to us. I smiled.

My mind drifted leisurely into my memory, summoning pristine thoughts about Nick. From what I read of Alice and Jasper's minds, they were doing the same. I shared a thought with Jasper.

We recalled an incident in San Francisco in the early 90's - Rosalie, Emmett, Nick, Alice, Jasper and myself were celebrating yet another tedious graduation and had decided to take in a few clubs. We'd ended up in a gay dance club, a newly established one, thumping with music and filled with patrons. It wasn't our scene, but we collectively agreed that it might be an experience.

"Care for a drink?" A man, wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt approached our table. He swayed from side to side and stumbled forwards, obviously drunk. I detected no hint of malice in his mind; his thoughts were foggy and almost non-existent. It definitely was a rare occurrence when humans openly approached us. Some innate survival instinct usually triggered the realisation that just because we were perfectly beautiful, we were incredibly dangerous. I suppose Nick had looked normal to him, certainly attractive, but relatively normal compared to the group he was with.

"No, thank you." Nick had replied, smiling slightly at the man, before turning back to me on his stool.

The man shrugged and kept walking towards us, none of our eyes were on him, and we were discussing the rest of our trip. Before I had even realised it, the man had grabbed Nick's arm and was pulling him away. Jasper sprang quicker than even I, a fellow vampire could have believed. He shattered the bones in the man's arm and left him writhing on the floor. Needless to say, we made ourselves scarce.  
I smiled at the memory. The entire family was fiercely protective of Nick; he was like the youngest Cullen. To me, he was so much more. He was _my_ Nick, mine. Not a brother or son like the rest of the family saw him, but my partner. He was the person I spent the majority of my time with, the one I loved completely and the one I would have done anything for. I still would do anything for him, truth be told.

We parked the car near the entrance; bright white lights lined the roof of the airport, and planes boomed overhead; deafening to our enhanced vampiric hearing. A woman, wearing a perfectly pressed uniform of navy blue and blood red approached us, her multi-tonal blonde hair pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head.  
_He's so handsome…_she thought to herself as she approached me, before her thoughts took a more vulgar tone. A flush of red took dominance of her cheeks, causing her to look down quickly.

"May I help you?" the woman, Tina, according to her name badge asked us.

"No, thank you." I replied graciously, feeling slightly sick at the thoughts she was having about me – by this point including Jasper in her torrid fantasy.

"I'll go to baggage claim and get his bags, you two wait for him at arrivals, ok?" Jasper suggested, "Meet back at the car?"  
"Sounds like a plan." Alice smiled, before standing on her toes and kissing his cheek. He smiled, took her hand up to his mouth and gently kissed it before turning and walking away.

Alice and I walked in silence into the airport, I could hear the excitement in her mind, but I guessed she could sense my tension.

_Oh shit! Delayed again..._

_Where the hell is Bradley?_

_That guy at the information desk is pretty hot…_

Thoughts, loud and abrasive penetrated my mind constantly. The airport was filled with people, some just arriving from a foreign place, some wandering around aimlessly lost, some from cancelled flights desperately trying to control their tempers and some were humming Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance'.

Alice and I maneuvered ourselves through the crowds, finding a seat near arrivals we sat and waited patiently. _Two minutes to go._

"How're you feeling?" Alice's voice was calm and gentle, slightly patronising in an unintentional way.

"I've been better." I admitted, folding my arms, my eyes staring at the "Arrivals" gateway.

"It'll be ok, "she told me, matter-of-factly. "Any idea how you're going to explain this all to Bella?"  
"No ideas yet." I admitted, not meeting her eyes.

My nerves began to swell and expand within my stomach. If I was capable of it; I believe I would have vomited.

"**FLIGHT 405 FROM HEATHROW IS NOW DE-BOARDING!"** If possible, I felt worse.

The 'Arrivals' gateway swung open, like the opening of a flood gate and caused a mass of loud, chattering people, all tired and agitated from their flight to appear.

"Josh! Give it back!" A little girl with deep brown eyes and loose red hair tugged at her doll, held prisoner by her older brother.

_I swear if those two don't shut the hell up I'll give them something to whine about!_ Another passenger thought, pressing buttons on his palm pilot furiously.

The last of the passengers left the terminal and there he was.

He walked slowly through the terminal, his black blazer hung over his left elbow. His deep black hair was stylishly kept in place, looking slightly messy but intentional. A fitted white shirt clung to the smooth and elegant contours of his body, his broad shoulders, and slim waist, the top few buttons open, revealing more traces of smooth pale skin. Black skinny jeans and a pair of red converse completed his look. He always looked casually sophisticated.

My biting and disabling nerves were consumed by something bigger than they were, something more powerful and potent, something driving me, possessing and controlling me. My legs were moving before I had time to process my actions, I was rushing towards him. I pulled him into my arms, careful not to hurt his delicate body and pressed him against me. The time apart seemed monumental to me now, years to a vampire seemed like mere seconds normally, but now, those years apart transformed, and adopted the gravity of eternity.

_How I had missed him!_

His scent was intoxicating, a subtle combination of green spring apples and raspberries, so intense and enthralling. I felt his arms slide up to my shoulder blades, holding me back.

We stood like that for what seemed forever. When I finally let him go, I placed my arm across his shoulders and his wrapped around my waist.  
"So, you missed me?" He laughed, as his beautiful sapphire eyes locked onto mine. Words seemed useless in this situation; no string of words could convey my feelings, so I simply nodded.

"Nicholas!" Alice's high soprano voice rang through the terminal, making heads turn.

She took him from me, and swept him into her arms, kissing his cheek.

"Alice! It's so good to see you!" Nick hugged her warmly.

"You feel thin! Esme'll soon have you fattened up, Jasper's gone to collect your bags, and he's meeting us at the car. Rosalie, Emmett and Esme are back at the house –

"Alice, he just got here, ease up." I suggested.

"Oh, be quiet," she stuck her tongue out at me, "I haven't seen him in nearly fifteen years!"

Jasper was already waiting at the car, Nick's bags safely placed in the trunk. When he saw Nick, Jasper ran full speed at him, lifted him off his feet and spun him around before putting him down. We all laughed hysterically at this.

"How've you been little bro? You don't call, you don't write." Jasper gently messed with his hair.

"I do send telepathic messages to Alice though." Nick stated, opening the car door.

"That's not the same, only she gets them," Jasper retorted.

"Forgive me?" Nick plastered a look of faux-sadness on his face, his bottom lip pouting.

"Who would resist that face? You're fine with Alice, Edward and me – Esme and Carlisle however; you might have to do some explaining."

The car ride back was astonishingly awkward. Nick and I sat in the back of car, as far apart as the rigid frame of the car would allow. We pressed our bodies as firmly to the car doors as possible; it seemed a subconscious move, commanded by the crippling uncertainty which had crept back into my body. So much had been left unsaid. Things like that, things that are important and vital, always had a way of niggling in one's mouth, waiting to be expelled and wreak havoc onto a situation. I bit my tongue.

The house was aglow with warm ember light; Jasper left the car and was back within ten seconds, placing Nick's bags in his newly refurbished room before Nick had even taken his seat belt off.

Nick visibly stiffened as we approached the front door, his heart beat raced in his chest. I felt utterly selfish; my thoughts had been dominated entirely by how I felt about this situation, how it affected me…how I was going to explain it to Bella. Nick hadn't been here in nearly fifteen years, out of necessity, not choice. It was perfectly understandable for him to be nervous.

I tried to read his thoughts, but as usual, I came up blank. Nick's mind was like a rare and difficult piece of music to me, I'd only heard his thoughts a few times in the years we spent together. His powers prevented me from reading them, unless he allowed it. I trusted him when we were together, he never hid anything from me, and I respected his decision to shield his thoughts.

"WELCOME HOME!" Esme was waiting just inside the door, and threw her arms around Nick, a smile of pure happiness dancing upon her lips. Carlisle joined in the embrace, cradling his wife and Nick in his arms.

When they finally released him, they were quickly replaced by Emmett and Rosalie, barely allowing the opportunity to breath.

The room twinkled with thousands of fairy lights, whose light bounced from every reflective surface. In the centre of the room was a round table decorated elaborately with delicate white roses, each slightly flushed red at the tips. Thin tendrils of emerald ivy entwined the roses, and crawled smoothly up a graceful glass structure. The structure was formed from a spiraling glass spine, with five bowled platforms stretching out. Each bowl contained a different fruit, cherries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and peaches – his favourite fruits. Faint violin and piano music played through the stereo.

"Wow, you did all this for me?" Nick's sapphire eyes caught the fairy lights and seemed to steal part of their shimmer for a brief second, making his eyes dazzle.

"Of course, we've missed you." Esme scooped a bowl of fruit for him.

"I've missed you all too. I brought presents to make up for it though." He revealed.

"You _did_? I didn't see any gifts in my vision!" Alice complained.

"I deliberately hid them from your vision; for once you will get a surprise." Nick smiled at her.

"Race you?" Alice looked expectantly at our siblings, who nodded and took off for Nick's bedroom. By the grunts and shouts from upstairs, Jasper had won.

Nick turned slowly to Esme and Carlisle, conjuring a wrapped gift out of thin air. It always amazed me when Nick used his powers, always a surprise.

"I hope you don't mind, I got you both a gift between you." He said, handing it to them.

"Not at all, we're just happy you're home." Carlisle told him, gently patting him on the back.

Esme opened the purple velvet box carefully, her long slender fingers caressing it rather than holding. Inside was an antique silver frame, the Cullen crest resting at the top of it. Inside the frame was an old picture, slightly yellowed with time. The photograph was of the whole family, taken eighteen years ago, just outside of Toronto. Esme and Carlisle stood in the centre, side by side, their arms linked. Rosalie and Emmett stood to their left, Emmett's arms wrapped around her waist. Alice and Jasper were at their right; Alice on Jasper's back, kissing his cheek. Nick and I sat at the front of the picture, leaning down slightly in front of Esme and Carlisle. I had my arm around him. Each one of us wore a smile. Nick's cheeks were flushed a shy red, snow flakes decorated his shoulders. I stared at the image nostalgically.

Alice glided down the stairs wearing a red satin cocktail dress, a black belt tied around her small waist.  
"Nick, I love it." She pirouetted, before bouncing down and joining us, "Vintage Chanel, where did you find it?"  
"Oh, I have my resources, did you check the pocket? There's something inside." Alice carefully put her hand in the pocket, producing a black piece of card tied with a gold ribbon.

"A gift certificate for the Prada spring collection?" Alice read it again, "The _entire_ spring collection?" She stood there in shock before kissing Nick swiftly on the cheek.

Rosalie had been given a benitoite encrusted hair clip, its deep blue hue working magnificently with her careful blonde hair. Emmett had received a ticket to every boxing match for the next year in New York. Jasper, a signed baseball from his favourite player.

"There was nothing in that black bag for you, Edward." Jasper sighed, slightly confused. I didn't care; having him near me was gift enough. He turned to me.

"Don't worry scarecrow, it was just too big to fit in the bag." He put his right hand over his shoulder, a small piece of black plastic in it. A keyless remote? With a high beeping noise, bright white lights filled the room from outside, an engine softly purred. He knew me so well.

"A Bugatti Veyron?" I grinned at him freely, I felt like a small child at Christmas, being gifted with the perfect present.

I put my arms around him, his head just brushing the bottom of my chin. I whispered a thank you, before pulling him by the hand.

"Where are you two going?" Alice demanded for dramatic effect. She knew where I was taking him.

"Just for a walk." I answered, not turning back.

I paused to gape at the car. Sleek black contours, tinted glass, a gentle hum emitting from it. It was magnificent.

"Hold on tight." I scooped him up in my arms and began to run. I ran as fast as I could, to a place we'd known so well in years gone by, where privacy was guaranteed. The moon laid lazily in the sky, watching as small woodland animals ran haphazardly away from me, a blur among nature. I ran higher with him, the forest, once engrossing us was now below us, you could see the whole town from that height. The rock face overlooked a waterfall, the steady rush of water filling the awkward silence which had crept upon us like a dense fog.

"So, how've you been?" He asked nervously, we began circling each other subconsciously.

"I've been good, better than good, excellent in fact." I rambled, my nerves betraying the confidence I was desperately trying to project.

"A husband and a father," his eyes caught mine, the fluent kindness in them shining through. I quickly turned away. Nick's eyes, so blue and vibrant held an enchantment beyond the magic he was capable of. They revealed so much about him, his wisdom, his insight, the subtle optimism he saw the world with. I dared not look at them for too long, for fear I would never be able to stop. "I can't wait to meet them." He told me.

"They'll love you," I replied quickly, "hopefully…once I've explained the situation to Bella." I admitted pathetically.

"She doesn't know about me?" A small flash of hurt confusion sped across his eyes; lasting a mere second it left no trace it had ever existed. I silently chastised myself for causing that look.  
"No, she doesn't. You're the only piece of my past I've kept private, Nick." It was true. In the four years Bella and I had been married, I had confided in her every detail of my existence, except Nick. Nick was the one secret I kept from her, the one privacy I couldn't give up. My life with him was just between the two of us; even my family didn't know everything. They knew minor occurrences and details, of course, but no where near the full picture. Bella deserved to know these things too, at the very least. She was my soul mate, she'd understand. I _hoped _she would understand, given time. The space between Nick and I had never seemed so great. It was as if a great chasm separated us, and this pained me for some reason.

I walked over to him slowly, he stayed still. I allowed myself another quick glance at his eyes before slowly, leaning down and kissing him. Our lips met exactly as they had done, with careful but powerful emotion. Our tongues danced with each other, I all but basked in the glorious flavor of him. That taste! Such a rich and elegant delicacy, I had forgotten how delicious it really was, it had been too long. His heart beat raced uncontrollably. Pressing in the small of his back, I clutched him closer to me as my fingers became lost in his hair.

Our lips broke apart, but my arms still held him. We kissed for all the things we couldn't say, and all the feelings we had once felt.

We talked for an hour or so, lying on the dew soaked grass, his head resting on my chest. My fingers slid back and forth along the soft pale skin of his arm. Time seemed to lie down and be still for us, a night of endless possibilities. I felt at ease, no longer did the beast within me rage for blood, my mind suspended restfully within the moments with him…I don't pretend I have ever or will ever understand how Nick did that to me, but those rare times when it had just been us, I felt human.

When the time came to leave, I took him in my arms again, but ran at only half speed back to the house. I didn't wish to rush these moments, the subtle moments of intimacy I silently thanked the universe for. We walked into the house; I smelled something awful and sweet…something wet and floral. I smelled a dog…and my Bella.

"Is this who he was kissing in the forest?" Bella demanded, Jacob stood there, his arms folded, a delighted smirk upon his lips.


End file.
